Victoria Aut Mors!
by Caluminous
Summary: Cabal! Harry. When the Dursley's go too far one day, Harry disappears to the Cabal Empire at the foot of Dominus Ghaul. Nearly twenty years pass for him before something calls him back to Earth. How will the Wizarding World react to the fury of the Stormborn Primus?
1. Intro

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

**Author's Note:**

**Okay... Two of my characters have finished the Shadowkeep campaign. Classes are going well for me. That's partially what's been eating up my time. I'm also grinding out the Undying Title, so wish me luck on that front. **

**Victoria Aut Mors will probably be a monthly update kind of thing but I'll try to update as often as I can.**

**Enjoy.**

Hadrian Ghaulsen looked out at the skies of Torobatl from the hanger deck of his flagship, _The Forge_, with a mug of hot caffeine in his hand. He looked back at the sound of a Gladiator's war cry to see members of his Legion engaged in spars and other training exercises. Seeing nothing wrong, he turned back to the open hanger door and leaned against it.

It had been over two decades since he had been removed from his Terran homeworld and he could honestly say that he had loved every moment of it.

He could still remember how he came here.

* * *

_Blood fell from five-year-old Harry's forehead where a fresh gash lay. _

_He had been fixing dinner under Aunt Petunia's watchful gaze when he had made the mistake of slipping and losing one of Dudley's favorite cakes. _

_Petunia had descended on him in an instant, a wooden spoon in hand that she used to whack Harry over the head, all the while screaming insults at him while Dudley had cackled from his chair at the table. _

_The large boy's folds of fat shook with his laughter as Petunia had dragged his bleeding form back into the hall to toss him in his cupboard. _

_Having left him with the promise of no food for the next day, Petunia had locked him in. _

_Harry tried to push himself up only to gasp in pain as he felt the bones of his arm shift. He fell back against the worn-out mattress and felt the blood loss start to take effect. _

_As he fell into the blissful realm of unconsciousness, Harry let out a silent wish for someone to help him. _

_In the deep pits of an unknowing Harry's magical core, a thread fed into a different dimension and grew in response to his wish. A thousand tears in reality opened and swallowed his broken form whole._

* * *

He had been unceremoniously dumped at the feet of Dominus Ghaul and the Consul. Hadrian had been only partially aware of his surroundings at the time but had understood enough that the Consul had advocated for his death, the reason of which Harry did not know, even to this day.

It was only by Ghaul's mercy that he lived and joined the Cabal, for which Harry was eternally grateful to the being who had spared him. This act had inspired Harry to change his name to Hadrian and cast aside any remnants of his past.

Beyond allowing him to join the empire, Ghaul had gone on to personally train him from a mere skin and bones human to a lean and powerful member of the Red Legion.

Hadrian had gone on to earn first his assigned squadron's respect, then the other Bracus', then the Val above them, their Valus, their Primus, and then Ghaul himself all over again with his efforts in the campaigns of the Legion.

Those campaigns had dipped Hadrian into the blood of dozens of species the Cabal fought, often drenching him in the blood of his squadron, many of whom had died over his ten-year-long membership in the Legion. All the while, Ghaul continued to participate in Hadrian's training.

* * *

"_Again." The Dominus' voice echoed through the empty coliseum as he stood to the side of the ring. _

_In said ring, fifteen-year-old Hadrian breathed heavily as he leaned against one of the posts. Across from him, Thumos and Kurg of the Blood Guard stood, not even winded by the spar they had been in. Hadrian had attempted to beat them in a straight fight like he did with his squad mates but found that the Blood Guard Centurions had stomped him to the ground and kicked him away. _

_Time for a change in tactics._

_Hadrian sucked in one last breath before he readied himself. He raised his dulled knife and charged with a war cry. He swung at Thumos, who dodged and slammed his fist into Hadrian's gut. His breath left him, and he flew up into the air. Hadrian flipped midair and landed on the main post. He jumped off towards the two Blood Guard, his knife extended. Lightning crackled around his body as he flew. _

_Thumos ducked under the strike but Kurg found himself being hooked by Hadrian as the boy swung himself up onto Kurg's harness._

_Hadrian whacked the flat against Kurg's helmet, sending a shock of power through his armor. _

_Kurg gargled as the power flew through him before he flopped down onto his face._

_Hadrian jumped back off as the Blood Guard Centurion fell. He flipped the knife around in his hand as he faced Thumos._

_Ghaul's Chosen glanced down at Kurg and snorted before he lunged at Hadrian. _

_Hadrian ducked under Thumos' attempts to grab him and slid between his legs. _

_Not one to be confused by the action, Thumos used his momentum to kick off one of the posts to face Harry again. What did confuse him was Hadrian's war cry before the boy threw himself at Thumos again. Shaking himself out of his momentary pause, he pulled back his fist to launch another uppercut into Hadrian's gut. _

_Hadrian sidestepped and slammed his shoulder into Thumos' gut. While he normally wouldn't be able to throw around the 800-pound Cabal, Thumos overextended his reach with the punch and had all his weight on his left foot. _

_This imbalance made Thumos pinwheel his arms as he stepped back and tripped over Kurg's unconscious form. _

_The deck shook under his weight._

_Thumos tried to push himself back to his feet only to feel a pair of feet land on his chest. He looked down to see Harry's knife a mere hair's width from his eye._

"_Dead," Hadrian said. _

_Thumos looked at him for a full three seconds before he laughed and relaxed._

_Harry hopped off his chest and looked at Ghaul._

"_Even though you have only been focused upon your training with Otzot, I see that you haven't neglected your physical training," the Ghost Dominus said as he stepped up into the ring._

_Thumos pulled himself up and hefted Kurg over his shoulder before he passed Ghaul on the way out._

"_I've been training with my Legionaries under my command. Most of them are mostly muscle for brains so that's why the Blood Guard caught me like that." Hadrian flipped his knife once before slotting it into its place on his armor._

"_Indeed," Ghaul rumbled, a hint of amusement in his voice. Said amusement disappeared from his eyes. "Let us see how you deal with me, then."_

_Hadrian nodded and drew his knife. _

_He was unprepared when Ghaul blurred and he found himself on his back with most of his body under Ghaul's boot. _

"_Firstly, keep your eyes open, my son. You never know who will try to kill you."_

_Hadrian groaned and tapped the ground. "Yes, father."_

* * *

Ghaul had beaten Hadrian in their regular trainings, often ending with Hadrian ending up in the medical bay. Despite the broken bones and gashes, Hadrian found himself healing at an extraordinary rate beyond what would be normal for humans.

This had led Ghaul to enlisting Otzot's scientific expertise to study Hadrian. In the midst of one of Otzot's experiments, they had found his gift for using Psionic power much like how Otzot's people could.

Otzot had been ecstatic on the abnormality Hadrian presented and had demanded that Ghaul allow her to teach Harry everything about Psionics while also studying him.

He had grown strong over the years.

"Primus?"

And then there were those under his command.

Hadrian turned to find a glowing red female humanoid standing behind him. Burning yellow anti-matter ran under her ruby shell and blazed behind her retinas. A cloak made of the same crystal as her shell hung from her shoulders.

This was Korosivash, a Red Sentient from a world just outside the Cabal Empire's reach that had been found by the Cabal shortly after a Hive infestation had overwhelmed the majority of the Sentient populations of the Red homeworld and Modulus 5.

Both of them could recall the day they met.

* * *

"_Forward!" Hadrian yelled as his squadron's Goliath fired, incinerating a group of Knights and Acolytes. His squadron killed the last of the Acolytes as Hadrian's second-in-command, Gilal, stopped beside his Primus. _

_Gilal was clad in the golden armor of a Valus Colossus and wielded a Heavy Slugthrower longer than Harry was tall. His armor, scuffed and burned by the Hive's magics, groaned as he rested his gun upright. "Two days we've been here, Primus. What would you have us do next?"_

_Hadrian hummed as he considered their next move, his eyes sweeping around them. Spotting the dull green crystals and chitin growing on a wall, he scowled. The ruins of this red world were already showing signs of Hive corruption. _

"_Get the Incinidors down here and have them start purging the corruption," he ordered. _

_Gilal nodded. "The other squads have reported nothing of the local inhabitants."_

_Hadrian shook his head. "No, that doesn't make sense." He gestured to the hive corruption that stretched up half a wall. "This corruption is barely two months old. Hive take their time with their victims while filling the area with their filth. We'd have to have noticed one of them by now." _

"_Perhaps they managed to evacuate?" Gilal asked._

"_Where would they go? There's no other habitable planets in this system besides that one." He jerked his head toward the blue planet above. "And we've already scanned that world. No, they're hiding."_

_A wall crumbled near them and they all pointed their weapons at it. The faint sound of footsteps faded into the distance. _

_Hadrian turned to Gilal, who huffed as he lifted his gun. _

"_Yes, yes. Oh, my gods." _

_The rest of the squad chuckled under their breaths as Gilal led them after their Primus. _

_Hadrian knelt and examined a set of small humanoid footprints. "I'd guess we're looking for something smaller than a Thrall." He followed the footsteps to a blank wall. He turned back to Gilal, who huffed again._

"_I can blast it open." He hefted his slugthrower and readied his missiles, only to stop at Hadrian's raised hand._

"_Or we could be more polite." He moved his hand to the wall and knocked three times._

"_Where's the fun in that?" Gilal asked, setting his slugthrower down. _

_Hadrian sighed and looked at Gilal over his shoulder. His gaze turned back to the wall when a panel opened, and a mechanical eye extended out._

"_Who are you? Why are you here?" A woman's voice asked in Cabal, making the entire squad perk up in surprise._

_Hadrian took the unexpected lack of a language barrier in stride. "I am Primus Hadrian of the Stormborn Legion. We came to this world to interfere with the Hive advance on our Cabal's borders. Are you one of this planet's people?"_

_The eye considered him for a moment before it pulled back into the wall. The panel snapped shut with a click. _

"_Are negotiations over?" Gilal asked as he hefted his slugthrower._

"_Peace, Gilal," Harry said as he ran a hand over his helmet face._

_The wall hissed and slid aside. _

_A slender red figure stepped out from the entrance. The crystalline creature looked Hadrian in the eye. "I am Korosivash, a Red Sentient. I wonder if you are worthy of my trust."_

* * *

In a way, Hadrian was.

The Stormborn had found hundreds of Red and Blue Sentients in stasis and moved them off world. Korosivash had stayed with her people for a year to ensure that they had been safely integrated into the Cabal before she moved on.

Hadrian had been very surprised when he found Korosivash's profile amongst the new recruits for his Legion. When he had questioned her, she had admitted to finding him more of an interesting choice than the other Cabal commanders, most of whom wanted to put her with the Psions and treat her as such.

"What news, Koro?" Hadrian asked as he pushed off the edge and walked back into the hanger. He took the offered Data Pad and scrolled through the information on it.

"The fleet is fully restocked. Final inventory is occurring now," Korosivash said as they walked past the training soldiers. "The last of the squadrons are onboarding now. I've already directed them to start preparations for combat drops."

"Clever Girl." Hadrian nodded his approval.

They entered the elevator and were quickly moved to the bridge.

"Hail, Primus!" Gilal thundered as soon as he noticed them enter.

The bridge crew snapped to attention and saluted.

Hadrian returned it as he moved to the command station.

Korosivash closed her eyes. "Final preparations complete. We are ready to depart, Primus."

Hadrian checked the clock. "Less than a forty-eight-hour window. Nicely done everyone." He cracked open the navigation screen. "Koro, do we have any marching orders from the Dominus?"

"Negative, Primus. Dominus Ghaul has indicated that he wants the Legions to maintain the border while searching for the Traveler."

"Of course." Hadrian rolled his eyes as he looked around the map of the empire. He tapped a small world highlighted. "Ia. An athenaeum world lost to the Hive shortly after the Coup." He turned to Korosivash. "Any of the other Legions have their eye on it?"

Korosivash closed her eyes as data flowed through her processors before she reopened them. "None of the other Legions have submitted plans to assault this athenium world. We are clear to proceed."

Hadrian grinned as he turned back to his console. "All ships, set a course for Ia."

* * *

Professor Albus Dumbledore rolled a lemon drop in his mouth as he paced his office.

It had been nine years since Harry Potter had disappeared.

When he had first found that Harry had disappeared, Dumbledore had tried to keep the information under wraps. He had called the members of the Order of the Phoenix in and had set them about on a search for young Harry.

Six years they had managed to keep the story hidden.

That ended the minute Harry's Hogwarts letter failed to deliver.

The enchanted quill that wrote out the address had been indecipherable, and the owl set to deliver it had circled Albus' office before it had landed and dropped the letter back on his desk.

Albus had been forced to reveal Harry's disappearance to the public when people noticed his absence from the First Years of 1991.

Needless to say, public opinion had turned against him very quickly. His position as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont had been stripped by the group.

Albus didn't see that as too much of a deterrent seeing as how he managed to keep his positions as Supreme Mugwump of the ICW and Headmaster of Hogwarts. He didn't care much for politics anyway.

Despite this setback, Dumbledore had adapted as much as he could. The Order had continued to search for Harry both in Britain and abroad.

After nine years, the morale of the Order members was falling rapidly. It was only through Dumbledore's instruments that indicated Harry's survival that kept Remus and later Sirius in the Order when the Marauder of the Black family had escaped Azkaban to find Harry.

He was down to his last few cards.

The Philosopher's Stone had been secured and Voldemort's shade had been banished. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened and Dumbledore had rescued poor Ginerva Weasley only after she had been reduced to a Squib. The Horcrux of Voldemort had been destroyed in the battle and Dumbledore had narrowly avoided losing the Headmaster position. Sirius had escaped Azkaban and had retrieved Peter Pettigrew in the ensuing chaos.

Now the Triwizard Tournament was on the horizon with Hogwarts at the center.

With this new challenge on the horizon, Dumbledore saw an opportunity in the chaos.

The Goblet of Fire was not just an impartial judge. It was a vessel of ancient and powerful magics. It was capable of drawing in powerful beings from anywhere in the world and perhaps even beyond. Dumbledore had found written descriptions of beings summoned by the Goblet that he wouldn't be able to stomach had he not found one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

He could only pray that the people could forgive him for putting children in the firing lines of this tournament as a result.

All for the Greater Good.


	2. Preparation

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Destiny, Harry Potter, Gears of War, or Hot Wheels.**_

**Author's Note: **

**Oh, hello there. (General Kenobi!)**

**I bet you're wondering why the red suit - I mean, Sentient.**

**In all seriousness though, for those who are wondering, Korosivash is a character from the Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Full Revolution movie. It wasn't in English and the YouTube quality sucks, but I couldn't help but fall for the Red Councilwoman. The movie itself is a solid 7 of 10 in my opinion but I've been feeling nostalgic for the past week. Go check it out if you want. Subtitles are available. **

**Harry's gear will be covered in this chapter. If you want an early visual though, look no further than the story's cover page. I went ahead and made his armor like the Onyx Guards from Gears 5. **

**The Grind for the Undying title continues. As of writing this note (10/22), I just have to get bow and fusion rifle kills in both precision and multi kill respectively, get Exit Strategy and Randy's Throwing Knife (anybody else get a Leroy Jenkins vibe from the text? Or just a regular blueberry responding to your LFG post?), and get the shaders and emblems relating to the activities. **

**Edit: (10/28) *Gasps for air* Spent my only free day this month grinding out Gambit Prime for the useless SMG. Got a few good weapons out of it so I guess it's okay. Just need the last shader and emblem for strikes and the ship and then Randy's Throwing Knife. Good times ahead hopefully, but after hearing about the medals issue for the RTK quest, who knows.**

**Now, onto reviews. **

**Raikaguken (and the Anon): I totally agree with you that it'd be an awesome entrance. Thanos' ship arriving in Endgame much? The fleet would probably level the Great Hall and part of Hogwarts. I do plan to have the fleet arrive in a more... civilized manner. Ironic considering who the Cabal are. Harry will arrive first via the Goblet and he'll find a way to get his fleet to Earth.**

**Bob-omb: In hindsight, you're right. Posting at the tail end of a morning class when you haven't had caffeine in three hours doesn't help your formatting, that's for sure. Thanks for the heads up. Will correct soon.**

**Out of curiosity, does anyone else still have any vanilla D1 merch? Just got a Traveler's Compass shirt in the mail a few days ago and I still have the same one from 5 years ago. Got it in a shrink-wrapped package from everyone's favorite red and white themed Video Game store. **

**I played a Hunter back in the D1 Beta. Good times...**

**Anyways, that's enough from me for now. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Hadrian rolled with the lurch of The Forge as the flagship dropped out of FTL. "Status?" He asked.

Korosivash checked the data feed. "All ships have arrived, Primus. Jump successful."

"Now it's our time to shine then," Hadrian said. The bridge crew roared approvingly at his words as a holographic representation of Ia appeared in front of Harry.

Korosivash highlighted ten structures scattered around the equator. "Ia was located and terraformed by the Empire approximately a century before Emperor Calus came into power. He transformed it into an Atheneum world shortly after his coronation and designated it a world dedicated to the medical sciences."

"So could we expect to encounter medical experiments down there? I would prefer not to have my men contract Sivana's Plague."

The undisciplined members of his crew whimpered quietly until their fellows shut them up.

Not that Hadrian could blame them. Sivana's Plague was a legendary virus that had wiped out entire worlds whenever there was an outbreak. The typical Cabal had only two weeks to live after contracting it and it was highly contagious.

The Cabal had taken to razing any world that showed a significant outbreak, even if quarantine was possible.

"Unlikely." Korosivash's voice snapped Hadrian from his thoughts. "What records I was able to acquire from the Archives of Torobatl did not mention the disease."

More than one sigh sounded around the bridge.

Hadrian rolled his eyes. "Let's not take the risk anyway. Inform the men to go hazmat and keep their seals on." He waited until Korosivash nodded before he turned his attention back to the hologram. "What are the points of interest?"

Eight of the highlighted areas brightened at his data chief's motion. "These are the laboratories. All experiments were conducted in these facilities. All data gathered was then sent to-," she pointed to the remaining two dots, which glowed green, "these data centers. Provided that power has not been lost and the Hive have not damaged anything vital, we should be able to access the data banks."

"So we stick to these two," Hadrian muttered, his eyes on the dots. He zoomed in on them until they were focused on the cities around them. "I can live with that." He turned to Gilal, who jumped to attention. "Gilal, take the Second Division and move to take Records Hall A. Minimize casualties to your part by initial orbital bombardment around the Hall before you move in. Capture as much information as you can. Pull your forces out if you begin to take losses."

"You would have us retreat, Primus?" Gilal asked, indignant.

Hadrian growled at the challenge. "I would have you all live for as long as you are able. Good soldiers such as yourself are so hard to find."

Gilal held his Primus' gaze for a moment before chuffing. "Very well, Primus. I shall do as you order." He slid his helm on and focused his now glowing gaze on Hadrian. He saluted. "Glory and Honor to the Empire!"

"May your strength be the luminous sun we all grow under."

Gilal roared a war cry as he exited the bridge which was echoed by the crew.

Hadrian turned to Korosivash. "Send targeting vectors to the crew. I'll be getting my gear."

"Yes, Primus." Korosivash saluted as he stepped out. She turned back to the crew. "Get the HOD crews to their stations. Orbital support will be necessary against the Hive."

The crew nodded and the chatter of the bridge grew again.

* * *

Hadrian stepped into his quarters. He ignored the feeling of static that crawled over his skin as the ship's weapon systems came fully online.

He opened his armor locker as he felt the dull thumps that came from the missile launches.

His armor had been handcrafted by Otzot to allow him to have maximum mobility and defense at the same time. Plates of armor hugged his upper body while his legs were unarmed outside of boot and kneecap armor. Glowing blue shield emitters winked on as he sealed his suit and reached for the helmet. A blank face with glowing blue eyes stared back at him before he spun it around and slid it on. A HUD winked on in his vision as he grabbed his Slug Rifle that had been modified to have tracking rounds and a secondary firing mode while it also had a barrel extension. (Skyburner's Oath with the Calus's Promise ornament)

As he exited his room, the two guards who had been standing at attention stiffened even further when they saw his armor. He nodded to them as he moved to the Drop Bay.

The Forge's interior lighting shifted to low-intensity red lights as power was diverted to other systems.

"All squadrons, prepare for hot drop." Korosivash's voice filtered through the PA system. "Hive forces are rallying at expected drop zones. Air support is en route."

Hadrian stepped into the drop bay and found over three dozen squadrons waiting to enter the drop pods. The ones he passed snapped to attention and saluted. He came to his own personal squadron and they snapped to attention.

Three of Gilal's family had proven themselves enough that Hadrian had taken notice and had raised them to his personal squadron. Geral was the artilleryman. He was clad in modified Centurion Armor that had missile pods on his back and had a modified Projection Rifle with a repulser attachment. (Volundr Forge Warden armor with the weapon of the Tree of Probabilities boss.)

Nalal was the close combat expert. She had a similar armor set to Geral but had a set of wings on her back that would assist in her agility. (Valus Mau'aul armor)

Lilal was the team's Sniper. She wore armor that had a modified helm that allowed for multiple scopes and scanners. (Bracus Zahn armor)

Hadrian nodded to each of them as the overhead lights shifted from red to green. They marched into the indent in the ground and the drop pod formed around all four of them. He triggered his radio and connected to the entirety of the Stormborn Legion as the pod filled with black impact fluid. "Victoria Aut Mors!" He yelled. He felt the drop bay shudder with the cheers of his men before it was overtaken by the launch of his pod.

"Victoria Aut Mors!" His squad shouted back.

* * *

Dumbledore looked around the abandoned Great Hall as he stood in front of the Goblet of Fire. Seeing no one around besides himself and the moonlight, he drew out a scrap of paper with Harry's name on it. Despite the lack of material he had to work with, Dumbledore had managed to secure this piece of paper from the Potter's Family Vault.

Every time that a child was born in the Magical World, the staff of the hospital takes a minute sample of the newborn's magical signature and placed it on the child's birth certificate.

The one he now held in his hand was a fragment taken from Harry's certificate. The Goblins had thrown a metaphorical fit when he had come to them with this plan, seeing as how they had to grant him entrance to a vault not in his name.

A few thousand Galleons out of his coffers later, a few Goblins had disappeared and he had the fragment in his hand.

He stepped up to the Goblet and dropped the fragment in.

The Goblet flared as it absorbed the fragment.

Dumbledore flicked his wand and the Confundus charm struck the Goblet. Now he just had to wait.

By tomorrow, he'd either have the Chosen One back, or he'd have to start training poor Neville Longbottom to be the hero the Wizarding World needed.

So caught up in his thoughts he was, Dumbledore missed the shadowy form of Barty Crouch Jr. slip into the Great Hall after him.

**Probably going to be another few weeks before I post again.**

**Victoria Aut Mors = Victory or Death.**


	3. Arrival

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Maybe I will in the future, maybe I won't. Who knows.**

**Author's Note:**

**Just about have Randy's Throwing Knife. Farmed both the Medals and Scout rifle kills in control with a fusion rifle and Momentum Control with Jade Rabbit. Just have to wait for weekly reset to bump me up to Heroic 3 then it's off to Fabled. I have at least three Pinnacle weapons waiting for me when I get there. Luna's, Recluse, and RTK will all be mine. **

**Just need the Master Nightfall ship and then I have to wait for the Undying Mind to show it's rusty chassis. **

**Anyways, enjoy.**

* * *

Hadrian ejected his wrist knife and used it to slice through the chitin covered throat of an Acolyte. Its dying hiss went unnoticed as he drew his rifle and fired into the wave of Thrall that stampeded towards him. For every one he cut down, two more crawled out of the corrupted walls and ran at him.

"Primus, down!" He heard Geral roar.

Hadrian followed his order and fell back onto his back.

Geral unleashed a flurry of tracking missiles into the Thrall wave that caused many of them to evaporate in flashes of Arc energy. The walls collapsed under the barrage and sealed the openings.

Hadrian hopped back to his feet and inspected Geral's work. He turned back to the Centurion and gave a nod of approval. The Centurion puffed up slightly at the praise as Hadrian passed him with a pat on the shoulder. He kicked a Knight helmet aside as he looked up the hall the way they came from.

Several Legionnaires held the passageway while their Centurion squad leader moved them into another hallway filled with Hive.

Hadrian could hear the screams of both Hive and his injured soldiers as he moved back to the rally point where several Psions attached cords and transmitters to the data banks under Nalal's watchful eye. He pressed his fingers to his helmet. "Primus to Forge, checking in. Primary data storage areas have been cleared for the moment. Final transmit ready soon."

"Understood, Primus," Korosivash replied. "Gilal is two steps ahead of you and is transmitting data."

"Guess we're going to have to re-double our efforts," Hadrian said, knocking the back of his hand against Nalal's wings.

She huffed in amusement before she returned to watching the hallways still infested with Hive.

"All teams, report in." He grabbed fresh ammo clips from a crate before he grabbed a spare Slug Shotgun and put it next to his rifle on his back.

"Fireteam Alpha, all clear."

"Delta, clear."

"Charlie, clear."

"Epsilon, clear."

Hadrian paused. "Beta, status?"

Silence.

"Beta, respond." Hadrian sighed as he grabbed grenades. "All fireteams, Beta is not responding. Moving to investigate. Nalal, Geral, with me. Lilal, protection detail." He patted the shoulder of the technician as he passed the Psion. "Keep working. We'll be back."

The Psion gave a thumbs up.

Hadrian and his two Centurions moved to Fireteam Beta's assigned hallway. The two Legionnaires on guard at the door saluted him as they passed. "Primus and squad moving in."

* * *

Albus looked out at the Great Hall, his eyes twinkling in the evening meal lit by the pumpkins overhead. Halloween was upon them and the younger students were happily indulging themselves in the holiday deserts from the French and Northern areas Beauxbaton and Durmstrang, respectively. They were only an hour from the drawing and he couldn't help but feel his hand twitch towards his wand that would initiate the lottery.

"I hope that this works, Dumbledore." He heard Snape mutter from beside him.

After the disappearance of Lily's son, the Potions Master had nearly resigned from his post in order to find the boy and fulfill his life debt to James. He didn't care for the idea, seeing as how he felt that the Potter boy was merely lofting somewhere and taking advantage of another's kindness.

In Snape's mind, what they were going to do next was generous to those that were forced to deal with him.

* * *

Hadrian clicked on the flashlight on his helmet and swept over the hallway. Nalal's fists flexed as she and her brother followed.

"It's too quiet," she said.

Hadrian had to agree.

Even the faint scraping made by the Hive larvae in the fluid pods was absent as they passed the glowing orange cysts.

He held up his fist and the two Centurions froze behind him as he waited. The blank wall in front of him shuddered and the silence was broken by a loud roar behind it.

"Ogre!" Hadrian yelled. "Back up, back up!"

The group quickly got behind a pillar as the wall groaned and fell, revealing the massive hunched form of said Hive abomination as it hurled the corpse of a Legionnaire in their direction before it fired Void energy at them.

Hadrian ducked under the corpse and returned fire. "Nalal, go for its legs. Geral, blind it."

The sound of grinding gears escaped Geral's missile pods as he shifted to his flash rockets. The missiles flew from their tubes as Nalal charged at the beast.

Nalal ducked under a swipe from the blinded Ogre as she latched onto one of its legs and swiped her blade across its knee joint.

The Ogre screeched as the limb separated from it. It tipped forward and Nalal avoided its thrashing form as it fell.

Hadrian grabbed a grenade and ran at the Ogre. He ducked under a stream of Void energy when the Ogre tipped its head up and saw him coming.

He landed a solid kick on its upper jaw and its head snapped up with its mouth open. He pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it down the Ogre's throat.

The sound of the Ogre's reflexive swallow sounded through the hall before the muffled explosion escaped its belly. The Ogre groaned before it fell dead to the ground.

Hadrian gave it a kick to make sure it was actually dead.

"That was surprisingly easy," Geral said, the dissatisfaction clear in his voice.

"Perhaps we are just too good, brother," Nalal responded with a laugh.

"And yet Beta was killed by one Ogre? That claim is shit," Hadrian said as he walked back to the Legionnaire corpse and rolled it over so he could access the armor's maintenance panel. He typed in a code before he walked back to them. The Legionnaire flared as the pressure gel ignited and burned the body. "There's something else down here, I think." He looked back the way they came. "Rally Point Alpha, respond."

Static was cut through by what sounded like Korosivash's voice.

"We're too far down. Beta probably was caught up in the same problem." Hadrian flexed his hands as he looked around the hall.

Another roar from down the hall made them turn to it.

"That sounded different from an Ogre," Geral muttered.

"No shit." Was his sister's eloquent response.

"Stow it, you two," Hadrian snapped as he readied his rifle. "Let's move."

* * *

The Great Hall was absolutely silent as Dumbledore stood beside the Goblet of Fire. The candlelight had been extinguished mere moments before and it was time for the Goblet to choose the champions. The flames within the old vessel turned scarlet and snapped, spitting a burnt piece of paper up into the air where Dumbledore caught it on the way down.

"The champion for Durmstrang will be… Viktor Krum." The hall exploded in cheers and applause as Krum stood and followed Dumbledore's instructions to exit the hall via a side door. They quieted as the Goblet spat another fragment. Dumbledore caught this one as well. "The champion for Beauxbaton will be… Fleur Delacour."

Applause erupted at his words again but this time was more muted compared to the celebrity applause of Krum. Several of the Beauxbaton girls not selected broke down in sobs of disappointment. They went unnoticed as the Goblet flared again and spat out the (supposedly) final fragment. The tension in the Hall was palpable as all four houses of Hogwarts waited with bated breath for Dumbledore to read the slip.

He snatched it out of the air and unrolled it. "The champion for Hogwarts will be… Cedric Diggory." The Headmaster held his hat as the cheers from the Hufflepuff table nearly blew it from his head.

The chosen Hogwarts champion stood and followed in the direction that Fleur and Krum had gone.

As soon as the door closed, Dumbledore glanced at the Goblet and waited a moment. He sighed when it didn't spark again. "And so with that, we have chosen-"

The Goblet's flames turned scarlet and a pillar of fire erupted from the old vessel. A scrap of paper flew from the storm and almost caught his beard on fire.

He patted out the embers as he held the scrap up to his eyes, which widened upon recognizing the name. "Harry Potter."

As if the name was a trigger, the flames brightened and started to expand until they covered the Goblet and the Headmaster's Podium.

Dumbledore retreated away from the flames until it stopped at the edge of the podium. He squinted against the flames and saw a large shadow in the flame. "Harry?"

What stepped out was certainly not Harry Potter.

* * *

Hadrian laughed as he cut through waves of Acolytes.

Nalal was waist-deep in the frail Thrall, fists flying with most of them dead beneath her boots while the rest tried fruitlessly to claw through her thick armor while Geral was unleashing barrage after barrage of missiles into Knights and Wizards.

They had pushed deeper into the infested halls of the Data Center, encountering swarms of Hive along the way. They had found the cooling corpses of Fireteam Beta close to an hour ago and burned the bodies before moving on. Now they were fighting through a veritable army of Hive to clear this final passageway. The Hive holdouts sensed that the other parts of the building were being cleansed by the overwhelming might of the Cabal and were throwing everything they had at Hadrian and his Centurions.

Hadrian flicked his hands and purple flames shot across the ground into a crowd of Hive and exploded. Hive limbs and blood flew onto the Cabal as they started to push back the swarm.

A harsh roar sounded and the Hive slowed in their assault before they started to part like a receding tide on a sandbar. What stepped through the gap made Harry pause.

An Ascendant Knight roared a challenge as it stomped towards them with Hadium Battle Axe in hand.

Hadrian stowed his rifle on his back and returned the roar with his own.

"Primus?" Geral asked, his rifle on the Knight.

"He's mine." Was all Hadrian said before he charged at the Knight.

The Knight started towards Hadrian and raised its axe to bring it down on him.

Right before it could strike him, Hadrian sidestepped the blow and jumped up onto the Knight's back. He grabbed onto the rings embedded into its chitin and held on as the Knight bucked and tried to shake him off. Hadrian pulled out his sidearm and fired several shots into its neck.

The Knight howled in pain as it felt the hot slugs buried their way into its thick hide. It stumbled over to a wall and slammed its back against it.

Hadrian jumped off mere seconds before impact and rolled to his feet. He ducked under a sideways swing from the Knight before he swung his wrist knife into the Knight's arm.

The blade severed something important, as the limb flopped down uselessly. The Knight looked at its immobile flesh for a moment before it growled and raised its Axe one-handed. The blade came down and a howl of pain echoed through the chamber.

The Knight's limp arm flopped to the ground, now separated from the shoulder.

It hissed as the Axe head ignited and it pressed it to the stump.

Hadrian watched with fascination through the entire process.

The Knight's helm followed the arm a moment later and its pale bulging face stared at Hadrian.

"Primus, your hand!" Geral shouted.

Hadrian looked down at the limb and found it alight with blue flames. His brow furrowed as he turned his hand over before his eyes. He looked at the other hand and found a similar situation. "How strange." His head snapped back to the Knight's roar.

The Knight turned from him and disappeared with a crackle of Hive magic.

Hadrian's eyes swept the room as he searched for the Knight. He stiffened at the crackle of the Knight's magic before he rolled to the side. He moved just in time, as the Axe slammed into the ground where he had been standing. The flames on his hands burned brighter as he used the axe to jump onto the Knight's shoulder and started punching the pulsing blisters on its face.

He stopped when he saw the flames had crept up his arms to his shoulders. He looked down at the Knight's face to see the flames spreading from where his fists had struck. Ignoring the Knight's screams and attempts to get him off, Hadrian jumped onto its back and looped his arms around its neck.

The Knight swung his axe around in an attempt to knock Hadrian off, but the man was wedged into the Knight's blind spot.

"Primus!" Nalal yelled as the flames swept over the Knight's body as well.

"Teleportation magic! Fear not, I shall find my way back!" Hadrian yelled as the flames consumed his head.

The flames exploded outward, consuming the nearby unfortunate Hive and burning them alive.

Geral and Nalal ducked behind pillars and received only light singes on their armor as a result. They poked their heads out as soon as the conflagration died. They looked at each other after confirming that all the nearby Hive were dead or retreating.

"What do we do now, brother?" Nalal asked.

Geral hesitated in his answer as he nudged the Knight's charred helmet. "Let's return to the Rally Point. The Sentient will know what to do."

* * *

Dumbledore held his breath as the flames began to recede, shadowing the being they had summoned. He frowned when he noticed the silhouette's missing arm. That wouldn't do for the Chosen One to be crippled.

His thoughts were cut off when the Ascendant Knight stepped fully from the flames and roared.

The screams of the children echoed through the Great Hall.

**I'm busy writing a TV script for school right now, so I'll post this chapter and that'll be it until the start of December. No promises though. **

**As always, your comments, critiques, and thoughts are always welcome. **

**See you starside. Per Audacia Ad Astra.**


	4. Shock

**Disclaimer: Don't own Destiny or Harry Potter. Would be nice if I had a role in either though.**

**Author's Note:**

**Collection's done for the Season. Got Randy's, Recluse, and Luna's all at once. Just got the Master Nightfall ship over the weekend as well. Took my 965 Light clan team over two hours to kill Nokris, but we did it anyways. All while I was dealing with a cold.**

**Just have to wait for the Undying Mind to show up then the Title is mine.**

**Think I'll work on Harbinger next. Here we go.**

**Enjoy.**

The Ascendant Knight's howl was cut off when its head was yanked back by a hand on one of its pulsing blisters. The beast spun around, revealing the black-armored being clinging to its neck.

Hadrian yanked harder as the Knight bucked and stumbled around the podium, its ax flying around as it tried to hit him to no avail. He looped his arm around its neck and pressed down.

The Knight's roars turned into choked groans as its throat was cut off.

Throughout this ordeal, the professors of Hogwarts had drawn their wands and had them trained on the strange duo.

"Albus, what do we do?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Defend the students. We don't know what these two will do when they notice where they are." Dumbledore shouted over the Knight's rumbling.

The other professors quickly established barrier spells around the four tables as they circled the combatants.

The Knight finally dropped its ax and grabbed Hadrian's arm before pulling him off.

Hadrian yelped as he was thrown down the path between the blue and green tables. He flipped and skidded to a halt a few steps from the massive door.

The Knight dropped its shoulder and charged at Hadrian with a roar.

The blue highlights of Hadrian's armor turned purple as ethereal flames of the same color swam down his arms. He slapped his hands onto the ground and a wave of purple psionic flame flew along the ground towards the Knight. Hadrian's Psionic soaked into the ground and allowed him to grasp the aged stone and pull.

A spike of stone erupted from the ground in the Knight's path. Too far into its path, the Knight screamed as the spike tore through its chest.

Despite the grievous wound, the Knight thrashed and tried to reach Hadrian as he approached the Knight. He looked past the Knight to where its ax lay forgotten behind the stunned Professors.

The psionic flames burned bright as Hadrian used his powers to lift the spike and the Knight into the air and toss it back towards the podium.

The robed teachers scattered as the spike impaled the ground, nailing the Knight to the ground before the Goblet of Fire. Its ax glowed purple as it was pulled towards Hadrian, who caught the massive weapon with a slight stumble. His form glowed purple as he propelled himself up into the air, ax glowing as it flew down towards its former owner.

The Knight screamed at him one last time before the blade cleaved through its neck.

Hadrian relaxed once the Knight's corpse began to disintegrate and fade. He grinned as he hefted his new prize ax and turned around. He paused when he saw the gathering of robed individuals before him.

"Humans. Joy." The sarcasm was palpable.

"Harry Potter?" The eldest of the bunch asked him.

Hadrian's gaze turned to him. "I have not heard that name for close to two decades. Why have you summoned me from my Legion?"

"I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, Harry, my boy." The eldest of the bunch said. "You have been returned to us to participate in the Triwizard Tournament."

Hadrian looked around the Great Hall where the students were now chatting excitedly with his old name on their lips. He stomped up to Dumbledore, ax still in hand and towered nearly a full head above the old man. "Listen to me very carefully, old man. My name is Hadrian Ghaulsen. I am the Primus Admiral of the Stormborn Legion. You have interfered with a Cabal Empire operation against the cleansing of a Hive infested Empire world. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right here and now for your interference that may have cost my legion without my presence?"

"We didn't know you would be brought here, Admiral Ghaulsen." A short man spoke up from the group behind Dumbledore. At Hadrian's gaze, the short man straightened. "Professor Filius Flitwick. I am the Head of the Ravenclaw House. When your name came from the Goblet, we didn't know it would bring you here. Quite frankly, your name shouldn't have come out either way."

"Perhaps this is a discussion held away from prying ears," Dumbledore said, waving towards the door that the previous three champions had gone through.

Hadrian shrugged and slammed the ax into the ground, embedding the blade deep into the stone. He turned back to the students and pointed at the weapon. "This is mine now. Anyone try to take it, you'll be eliminated." His blades popped out from his wrists to emphasize that point.

Several students gulped at the razor-sharp blades as Hadrian retracted them and followed after Dumbledore.

"You didn't have to threaten them," One of the older women in the group admonished him.

"Children are greedy little things. Though I was an only child to Dominus Ghaul, he took me out into the streets of Torobatl. I saw what greed can do to an individual, Ms…?"

"Professor Minerva McGonagall, and I am offended that you would insult me in such a way. I have been teaching these children for years and I know that none of them would resort to such blatant thievery."

"Then you've ignored what greed can do to humans."

Any further conversation was cut off as they entered a small sitting room with a crackling fireplace around it.

"Professor Dumbledore? What-" A yellow-clad student asked as they entered.

"Forgive me, Mr. Diggory, but we have a rather unusual addition to this tournament."

"Of which I had no wish to participate in or even be within light years of this system," Hadrian said, his voice low and angry.

Dumbledore appeared to not hear him. "I present to you the Fourth Triwizard Champion, Hadrian Ghaulsen."

"What?!" Hadrian turned to the source of the voice and raised a concealed eyebrow. The woman was dressed in a baby-blue outfit and had an air about her that Hadrian recognized from the members of the stiff aristocratic Praetorate he had encountered. He already disliked her.

She stepped up and glared at him before she looked at the tallest woman that followed the group in. "Madame Maxine, what is it they are saying? That this man is competing in the tournament as well?"

"This man is Harry Potter." Everyone looked at Dumbledore. "He was summoned back to us by the Goblet of Fire mere moments before."

"If he is Harry Potter, he would be underaged. He is too young." Fleur said.

Hadrian's hand wrapped around her neck and lifted her off the ground. "I am no boy." His growl echoed through the room. "I have fought in wars for close to twenty years."

"Impossible." The burly Victor rumbled from his spot by the fire, seemingly indifferent to Fleur's predicament as she kicked her legs. "It has been less than a decade since you disappeared."

Hadrian stared into Fleur's eyes for a moment before he dropped her, allowing her to crumple to her knees gasping for breath. "Time works differently in space. There are things in the dark that can affect that time as well."

"Nevertheless, you are here," Durmstrang's Headmaster said. "Where have you been all those years?"

Hadrian's glowing optics swept over them. "I was taken away from Earth by my own will. I wished to be away from those useless sacks of flesh called the Dursleys and something listened. I was brought to the foot of Dominus Ghaul, leader of the Cabal Empire. He raised me into a warrior." He paused. "He is probably expressing his discontent at my absence right about now. Unhappy would be an understatement," Hadrian grumbled.

"You are a warrior?" Flitwick asked, his eyes shining with intrigue.

Hadrian nodded. "I have fought on close to twenty worlds so far. Most of those worlds are now loyal members of the empire." He glanced around the room to see a variety of responses to his statements.

Fear was evident in the eyes of the inexperienced students and even from the Durmstrang Headmaster while the other professors in the room seemed wary.

"Would you threaten the students?" A green clad professor asked.

He lifted an eyebrow at her. "And you are?"

"Pomona Sprout."

"Madame Sprout, I am a professional. I have standards. Unless they actively try to assault me, I will not retaliate."

"They see you as their savior. I doubt they'd try anything." McGonagall said.

Hadrian rolled his eyes as he faced Sprout, who had relaxed slightly. "I will participate in this tournament of yours. It might even give me some entertainment."

"You would do well not to underestimate this tournament. People have died in these events." McGonagall said.

Hadrian snorted. "Then why is it that you've continued it?"

McGonagall's jaw snapped shut at that.

"Besides, you just saw me execute a Hive Knight with little effort. What is it that you would have me face that could outdo what I have fought?"

The professors looked to Dumbledore, who closed his eyes. "Very well, Hadrian. I shall have one of the Professors guide you to the guest rooms. Professor Snape?" He glanced to the corner where a shadow peeled off the wall and shifted into Snape's form.

Hadrian barely twitched.

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"Guide Mr. Ghaulsen to the Guest Wing, if you would."

"I would prefer a room above ground with a large window overlooking the grounds of this castle," Hadrian interrupted.

Snape's face twisted into a scowl and he looked at Dumbledore, who nodded. "Very well," he bit out.

Hadrian cocked an eyebrow as he followed Snape out of the room.

* * *

The goblet in Dominus Ghaul's hand groaned under his grip as he listened to the report from Korosivash. His gaze didn't shift from the sight of The Almighty as it destabilized the star of a troublesome conquest. When Korosivash finished her report, his attention finally shifted.

"So you mean to tell me…" He put down the goblet as he turned back to the Sentient's hologram. "That my son, your Primus, is lost?" He held back his anger as she shifted.

"He is not dead, Dominus. I detected a particle trail that originated from the Primus' location. He's in the wind."

"Follow it. Find him. When you do, inform him of how… displeased I am at his absence." Ghaul retrieved his goblet and took a sip.

"We shall tear apart the stars themselves if we must, Dominus."

"See that you do."

The star imploded and detonated under the Almighty's assault.

**Thoughts and Reviews welcome.**


	5. Interlude

**Ch. 5 Awe**

**Author's Note: **

**Apologies for the length of time between updates, I've been busy. By busy, I mean I re-entered the hell that is Fate: Grand Order for the first time in months and subsequently got sucked into the story mode. Ground out the Jalter Lily Santa quest to get her and then pulled Emiya and Caster Gilgamesh on the same weekend. The Fate series is going to have one character make a significant appearance relevant to the story, but I have a semi-believable reason to introduce them. I promise to do my best to honor their source material, both in Fate and real-world folklore, trust. Anyone with a lick of Fate knowledge might recognize the hint I give in this chapter. **

**In a rather underwhelming final battle with the Undying Mind this past week, I myself am now Undying. I really hope Season of Dawn has a bit more effort put into it seeing as how it doesn't have Shadowkeep bolstering it. It's sounding more and more that it's going to be centered on Mercury, which I have moderate hopes for. Considering the fact that D2's IMDB page has Saint-14 credited, I am cautiously hopeful.**

**On other topics, Destiny 2 feels somewhat lackluster at the moment to my never-ending horror. I hate content droughts with a passion, stemming back all the way to The Dark Below in D1. Least I have Iron Banner to entertain me with the overpowered opponents.**

**In any case, you might see another chapter of this story within the next few weeks as I have nearly an entire week to write while I'm away for Thanksgiving.**

**I also updated the previous chapter with a bit more content towards the end to make it feel better.**

**Reviews: **

**Vampirelord101: I know Hadrian is Cabal raised, but I want him to have been more patient than his Space Rhino family. Ignoring the Consol's words of "Cabal wait for nothing," I have an idea of how I want this story to end. It won't involve a conquest of the system, I will say that.**

**Joy is overrated: What a**-pull are you referring to? I like to think I've done plenty of those in life, you're going to have to be specific. My fear of failure is nearly crippling.**

**And on that note, enjoy the chapter.**

A rapid knocking at the door pulled Hadrian from his examination of the Hive Ax. Leaving the ax on its new plinth, he stood from the desk that had been given a Cabal-style redecoration and moved to the door. He wrenched it open and found someone continuing to tap against his breastplate. He looked down to see a short blonde boy decked out in red highlighted robes stop his frantic knocking.

"Hi, Harry! I was sent by Professor McGonagall to come and get you."

Hadrian's eyebrow twitched behind his helmet. "Firstly, my name is Hadrian Ghaulsen, Primus of the Stormborn Legion, little human. Remember it. Secondly, who are you? Thirdly, why did she send you to get me? Does she require further reason to dislike me?"

The small boy put his hands on his hips. "First, my name is Colin. Colin Creevey Of the Noble House Of Gryffindor!" He said this in imitation of Hadrian. "Second, the Professor said you'd like food after last night."

Hadrian paused. His stomach was empty, seeing as how the last time he ate had been the ration bars he had scarfed down in between combat on Ia.

The thought of his soldiers made him snap back to reality. Recollection could wait until he returned to Torobatl. "Very well, Creevey Of House Gryffindor. Lead on."

As they walked, Hadrian's eyes darted around, noting the moving paintings whose occupants seemed to follow his every move. He paused at one painting of a woman garbed in traditional robes standing resolute with a spear and a shield.

Colin stopped further down the hall upon noticing his charge had stopped and ran back to his side.

Hadrian scrapped away the grime on the placard under it. He felt the remnants of Dark energies from the ax burn against his fingers and he quickly pulled his hand away. He looked at the disappearing purple flames and looked back at the placard to see a name appear. "Shadow Queen," He turned back to Colin. "Forgive me. Good art is so hard to find where I'm from lately. Let us continue."

* * *

Hadrian stared around the Great Hall as he and Colin had entered.

The small Gryffindor had looked at him with such hope in his eyes but Hadrian had waved him off.

Even now, he could see the suspicious glances in his direction. Deciding to bite the bullet, he walked up to the blue-clad table of Ravenclaw and sat down in an empty space close to the Beauxbaton delegation's spot.

He examined the collection of foods and frowned behind his helmet.

"Are the foods to your liking, Mr. Ghaulsen?"

Hadrian turned his head to see the diminutive form of Professor Flitwick approaching.

"Professor Flitwick." He nodded his greeting. "Unfortunately, I am unable to remove my helmet to partake in this feast. For you see, the world I was previously on as well as Torob, in general, is a very high-pressure environment. Were I to take this helmet off right now, I might very well experience… complications."

"I see." The half-goblin professor said. "You can only partake in liquids then?"

"For the moment. My suit is running through a decompression cycle so that I can take it off."

He pulled out a length of plastic tube from his gauntlet and screwed one end to his helmet.

"The ships we travel on usually begins the equalization process as we travel so that if we have any emergencies on the ground, we can address the injuries on the ground without fear of decompression sickness. Some of the other legions prefer to remain at Torobatl's pressure for some reason no matter what world they're on."

He grabbed an empty goblet and looked around the table for a pitcher before he turned back to Flitwick.

"Er… How do I…?"

Flitwick smiled. "Pumpkin Juice." He declared.

Before Hadrian's eyes, the goblet filled itself with a murky orange liquid. He hesitantly stuck the free end of the tube in and the juice flowed up to his mouth. His eyes widened and he audibly gagged. He leaned over his plate and hit a hidden button. The tube ejected and a high powered stream of juice flew out after it.

The plate that endured this assault cracked and shattered.

Hadrian coughed a few times as the opening sealed itself before he rounded on Flitwick. "That had to be one of the foulest drinks I've ever had. You people drink that stuff on a daily basis?"

Flitwick nodded, causing Hadrian to shake his head.

"Even more of a reason to be gone from this place."

"It's not all bad."

Hadrian looked across the table to a previously unoccupied seat which now contained a petite blonde girl. He blinked.

Were those radish earrings?

"You just have to look a bit harder to find the better parts."

"Well said, Ms. Lovegood. Five points to Ravenclaw." Flitwick turned his attention back to Hadrian. "I do apologize for recommending the juice. I forget that our muggleborn first-years often have the same reaction." He glanced at the shattered plate. "Though with much less intensity." He chuckled to himself before he departed.

"I thought it was rather funny." The Lovegood girl piped up, her dreamy expression not changing.

"So glad to be of amusement to you." Hadrian growled as he cleared the feeding tube of the disgustingly sweet fluid. "Water."

The goblet thankfully filled with the perfectly plain liquid at his request and he drank from it.

"What is the Vex Gate Network like?" Lovegood asked.

Hadrian choked on the water and ejected the tube again. The wood of Ravenclaw's table creaked under the water's assault.

"Don't bother him with your delusions, Loony." A Ravenclaw further down the table called out.

"You mispronounced 'Luna' again, dear Roger." Luna called back.

Hadrian stood and leaned over the table until he was nearly eye level with the girl. "How do you know of the Network?" His voice was quiet.

"She has these little delusions. She claims that they are real and that she'll find them." Another Ravenclaw next to Hadrian answered his question.

"They are real. Daddy and I will be headed to Sweden next summer to search for Crumple Horned Snorkack."

Though no one could see his face, Hadrian's jaw was open. He recovered and leaned down again. "Ms. Lovegood, would you mind accompanying me for a walk around this place? I am still unfamiliar with this castle."

"Of course, Mr. Ghaulsen. I can show you where the Nargles like to hide."

The duo were an odd sight to anyone watching them on their way out.

A massive armor clad figure towering over a tiny blonde as the two left.

(Somewhere in a different dimension, a certain alchemist felt that he had been insulted on his height and began to rave about it to the exasperation of his armor-bound younger brother).

* * *

"So how do you know of the Network, little one?" Hadrian asked once he was sure that no one was within earshot.

"I dreamt of you one night."

"That can't be taken in any strange way."

Luna giggled and Hadrian joined in her laughter a moment later. "No, Hadrian. I saw you and the man in green travel the network."

Surprise made Hadrian stiffen. "You saw him? The man with no name? The Drifter?"

"That was not what you called him then. Daddy washed my mouth out when I told him what you called him."

Hadrian flushed. "Yes. It was a slew of insults that I am somewhat embarrassed about."

"Don't be, he deserved them for what he did."

"Aye. He locked me in the Network for nearly three months where their manipulations made it so that I was only gone from the real world for about a week." He shuddered. "I hate the Vex."

"Almost as much as the Hive?" Luna asked.

Hadrian's shoulders slumped. "Just how much of my life have you seen, little moon?"

"I've seen more than you could imagine."

Hadrian laughed as they began walking again. "I look forward to you telling me more, little moon."

Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad of an experience.

He did wonder how his fleet was doing, however.

* * *

_Two weeks later..._

_A distant star, Far from Earth._

_A Derelict..._

A sharp whistling broke the dull hum of Vex-powered engines. The source of said whistling was a man clad in green gear that drew from multiple cultures topped with a dull blue duster coat. Gauntleted hands flicked and caught a green coin as its owner strode along the catwalk into the bridge of his Derelict. The coin disappeared with a flourish of his fingers and he grabbed a steaming cup of caffeine.

A Drifter sat in the captain's chair and reclined with a content smile on his face as he took a sip of the hot beverage. He glanced out the window to see the asteroid belt he took shelter in slowly drifting by. He chuckled at his own little joke and pulled out a fresh newspaper from the nearby Cabal Outpost.

A shadow crept over the window, blocking out the light of the systems star.

The Drifter slowly lowered his newspaper and took in the sight blocking his view.

The Stormborn Fleet filling his window barely made him flinch. He raised an eyebrow when his comm board lit up with an incoming message. He accepted the call and a hologram snapped into being in front of him. His lips peeled back in a toothy grin.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Ghaul Jr's little Red Sentient. Junior not feeling up to facing me in person after his little stay in the Vex Network?"

"Silence, Mongrel!" Korosivash snapped, flames flickering in her eyes and on her shoulders. She restrained herself and the flames cooled but were still there. "Forgive me, Drifter, but we have a problem."

Drifter hummed as he whipped out his coin and started flipping it. "Now what would a Cabal Fleet want with little ol' me? And without your Primus here to talk?" Korosivash's impassive stare made Drifter chuckle. "Let me guess, he's off on an unexpected adventure, isn't he?"

"Yes." Korosivash ground out. "I have been tracking him, but the particle trail keeps bouncing between suns and even enters Hive space. Given your past dabblings with the Dark, I concluded that you were the optimal choice for guiding us through that territory."

"I guess it was either me or that mad-man with a hard-on for a little Bad Juju, am I right?"

"Correct."

Drifter rolled the coin between his fingers as he considered the offer. "I want two million credits."

"My operational budget only allows for half a mil."

Drifter snorted. "You're a Sentient, sister. Don't think I haven't noticed your people shaving off those minuscule fractions for yourselves."

Korosivash could melt battleplate with her glare alone. "One and a half."

"Oh my, look at the time. I'm going to be late for dinner at grandma's." He began to heat up his engines for a fast getaway.

"Wait."

He paused. A notification appeared on his console and found that one million credits had been transferred to his account.

"Half now. Other half will be delivered on retrieval of our Primus."

Drifter let out a harsh laugh. "Pleasure doing business with ya, sister. Let's do this."

**Thoughts and Reviews appreciated, nay NEEDED.**


	6. Author's Note - Temporary Hiatus

Author's Note

Hey Guys, sorry this is taking so long.

The holidays have been distracting me from this story alongside the Season of Dawn. I've also been dusting off a few concepts that have been sitting in my notes for a while now that I never published.

This story isn't canceled by any means, I just need more free time to work on it.

Apologies for the delay.

Happy Dawning, Guardians.


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